Dove Taps Wilma Flintstone and Others to Introduce Styling Aids

Marge Simpson lets her hair down
in the new Dove commerical

If Wilma Flintstone had a squirt of styling gel back in the old days in Bedrock, she may have been able to better manage that stiff, high-flying orange hairdo.

That’s one of the premises for a new campaign by Dove that uses animated characters for the first time to introduce its new styling line in an integrated campaign that encompasses everything from TV ads to mall tours.

Marge Simpson, Wilma Flintstone, Jane Jetson and Velma Dinkley will be featured in the ads and promotions for Dove Styling. The new line introduces five hairsprays and seven styling aids for a suggested retail price of $3.99.

This month, a sweepstakes kicks off in partnership with InStyle magazine with the grand-prize winner getting a day trip to New York City that includes hair and makeup sessions, spa treatments, dinner and two tickets to a Broadway show. Consumers can go to Dove.com/instyle to enter.

Next month, in-store product demonstrations begin at retail stores across the country, a sampling tour kicks off and a national FSI drops offering $1-off coupons for any purchase from the new line. And, customized TV spots featuring Wilma begin running on Wal-Mart’s closed-circuit in-store TV.

The mall tour, The Style that Moves Tour, kicks off March 4 in New York City with a traveling Salon where visitors can get one-on-one information about the new products. The tour ends April 24 at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, MN, and hits Boston, Atlanta, Cleveland, Charlotte, NC, Pittsburgh, PA and Chicago in between.

Ryan Partnership, Chicago, is handling the sweeps and mall tour and Ryan Partnership in Wilton, CT, handles interactive elements. Marketing Drive Worldwide, Wilton, CT, handles in-store elements.

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